Desperate Hearts
by neon maverick
Summary: Zack and Cody have grown apart since they started high school. When they both get kidnapped, how will this change the twins?
1. Trailer

_Trailer for my new story. By the way, if you have any ideas for my stories, can you tell me? Now school's back in, my inspiration is all used up in English, and Maths, and Geography, and History, and Art…and so many other subjects…including Greek, Spanish, Latin, and German._;D

* * *

**When there's a sensitive twin…**

'You're such a nerd!'

Cody bent his head, and he felt a burning roll down his cheek.

**There's always an insensitive one…**

Zack glared at his twin, before turning round and walking off, before shouting at him.

'You're such a nerd!'

**When both are kidnapped…**

'C'mere.' One man said gruffly, taking Zack and throwing him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

The other man punched Cody round the face and picked the limp, unconscious body up.

**Will they draw closer?**

'We're going to die, aren't we, Zack?' Cody whispered, huddled up next to his brother in the small closet.

'No. We're not going to die; I won't let them kill us. I won't let them kill you.' Zack said, putting an arm round his younger brother, a single tear sliding down his cheek.

**Or will they draw apart in a completely different way?**

Zack watched, battered and bruised, in a corner, while his brother was taken for another round of torture.

'Maybe this time he won't be coming back.' Mitchell laughed evilly as Zack's eyes widened in fear.

**Find out in Desperate Hearts…**

'I'm desperate here. Please don't kill my brother.' Zack said, pleading.

**Starring Dylan Sprouse…**

'Cody, wake up! Buddy, it's me! They're gone, you can stop pretending now.' Zack said, on his knees beside his brother.

**Cole Sprouse…**

'This is all my fault.' Cody whispered. 'If I wasn't such a wimp, we wouldn't be here right now.'

**Ashley Tisdale…**

'You really need to be nicer to your brother, Zack. One day, you'll regret it.' Maddie said, looking solemnly at Zack.

**Kim Rhodes…**

'Please. You have to find them. You have to find my boys!' Carey begged the policeman.

**And Brenda Song…**

'Please, officer. You can't give up. Not now.' London said, looking at him with pleading eyes.

**Desperate Hearts.**

'Cody! Let him go!' Zack said, banging on the doors of the closet.

**Coming soon.**


	2. Kidnapped

'Boys, I'm going to be late home tonight, and I have to go to my rehearsals now. Don't eat junk, don't go out, and Zack, don't tease your brother.' Carey said, picking up her bag.

'Double kisses.' Carey lent in between her two boys, and they both gave her a kiss on each cheek. 'Love you.'

'Love you.' The twins answered back.

As soon as Carey left the suite, Zack turned on his brother. He picked Cody up by his collar and pinned him against the wall. 'Did you do my homework?!' Zack hissed.

'Yes.' Cody said, breathing heavily. 'And Drew's, and Jason's, and Dan's, and Chris's. I've done them all.'

'Good.' Zack dropped his brother on the ground, and kicked him in the side. He grabbed his jacket and his passkey.

'Mom said we couldn't go out.' Cody choked.

'Like that matters.' Zack said, rolling his eyes.

Cody got up and started to go into their shared room.

Zack glared at his twin, before turning round and walking off, before shouting at him.

'You're such a nerd!'

Cody bent his head, and he felt a burning tear roll down his cheek.

'I am.' He whispered.

Cody followed Zack out the suite and out onto the sidewalk outside the hotel.

'Why are you following me?' Zack shouted at him.

'Because if you go out, Mom will blame me for not stopping you!'

'Aw, are you scared of being told off by Mommy?' Zack countered.

Suddenly, a hand went over Zack's mouth, and Cody watched as Zack's eyes pleaded for help. He was about to help when another man came up behind him.

'C'mere.' One man said gruffly, taking Zack and throwing him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

The other man punched Cody round the face and picked the limp, unconscious body up.

'Hey!' Zack said, slightly concerned for his brother.

'What are you gonna do about it, squirt? Now, shut up and get in the van.' The man put Zack down and pushed him nearer into the van so he couldn't get away.

'What if I don't wa—?'

'Now!' he said, pushing him right in.

Zack rubbed his knees where he had been thrown onto them. Cody was thrown in after him, and Zack felt the van move. He started breathing heavily.

'Cody?'

No answer.

'Cody? Oh, come on. Cody?'

Zack was starting to get worried by now, and he lent over his brother and shook him. Cody didn't even stir. Zack shook him a bit more before giving up and leaning against the wall of the van.

* * *

_So, what'd you think of the first chapter? Please R+R!_


	3. Accepted and Challenged

_Usual thing – Italics thoughts._

The first man, now known as Mitchell, grabbed Zack's wrists and pushed him against the wall. He took hold of the pair of handcuffs which had been nailed to the side and cuffed Zack to them. The other man, Steve, did the same with Cody. He still hadn't woken up yet, and there was a long trail of dry blood which had run into his mouth. Both men left the room, and Zack heard a small bit of their conversation as they left.

'How long we staying here?'

'Just one night. That'll be enough for the twins to tell us about _Daddy_. And they'll be knocked outta their senses by the time we get to the house.'

_Daddy? Why are they talking about our Dad?_

'Zack?' Zack turned towards his brother.

'What?' he said, in an evil voice.

'Where are we?'

'How should I know?!'

'Sorry I asked.' Cody said, a little offended.

Zack sighed. 'Sorry.'

He didn't get an answer. He only heard the rattles of chains as Cody tried to unlock his cuffs.

He remembered what Maddie said to him: _'You really need to be nicer to your brother, Zack. One day, you'll regret it.' Maddie said, looking solemnly at Zack._

'You won't be able to do it, Codester.'

The rattling stopped. 'Oh, so I'm Codester now?'

'You've always been Codester.' Zack said, confused.

'No. I haven't. You turned cool, and I was just geek, nerd, loser.'

Zack bit his lip. This was true enough. And now it seemed awful.

'Cody, I-I didn't…I, well, I was just…trying to be cool.'

'Well, that's very nice and all, but I really just wanna go home.'

'I-I…look, Cody, I'm sorry!' Zack blurted out.

'Excuse me?'

'I'm sorry, OK? I said it. I'm sorry.' Zack said, hanging his head.

There was a minute of silence. 'Apology accepted.'

* * *

Mitchell and Steve walked in. 'So, you boys ready to talk?' 

'Depends on what we're talking about.' Cody said.

'Yeah.' Zack agreed. 'Is it about our Dad?'

'How did you know we were gonna ask you about Kurt?' Mitchell said, stepping forward.

'I heard you talking about it after you locked me and my brother up.'

Mitchell walked over and punched Zack round the face. 'How _dare _you eavesdrop on our conversation!'

'You were speaking too loudly!'

'Your brother didn't hear us!'

'My brother was unconscious, thanks to the handy work to Kidnapper #2 over there!'

Steve grabbed his chin and pulled it close to his. 'Who would you rather die, you or your brother?' he hissed.

* * *

_Dun, dun, dun…what are we going to do? Well, why don't I play my part, and you play yours? Push the pretty purple button._


	4. Making a Point

'Who would you rather die, you or your brother?'

Zack looked towards Cody. Cody smiled slightly, receiving a slap round the face from Mitchell.

'…' Zack breathed deeply. 'Me.'

'You sure about that, buddy?'

'Yes.' Zack said, nodding.

'How gallant. Well, we'll just have to torture your brother instead then.' Steve said, unlocking Cody's cuffs and dragging him out the door.

'Cody!'

Zack rattled his chains as Mitchell followed Steve, smiling evilly. The door slammed shut, and soon after Zack heard cries of pain. He tried to escape more fiercely, causing the cuffs to cut into his wrists. He yelped as blood started to trickle down his wrists.

'Cody!' he yelled again.

After about 10 minutes of shouting, Zack slumped against the wall, feeling the metal cut into his open wounds.

After a few more minutes his twin was brought back, overall looking half dead. His hair was matted, and his shirt had been torn off. There were long scratches along his back, and big welts, and bruises, blood everywhere. Zack gasped, and Cody was put back in his original place, cuffed against the wall, next to Zack.

'What did you _do _to him?!' Zack almost yelled.

'That's for us to know, and you to find out.' Mitchell said, walking out, and Steve followed.

'Cody? Buddy? Talk to me!'

'…Zack?'

'Buddy? What did they do to you?'

Cody stayed silent.

'Cody!'

'They told me not to tell, or they'd do the same to you.' Cody said.

'I don't care! Tell me!'

'No.'

'Cody!'

'I don't want you to get hurt.'

'Too late.' Zack showed Cody his wrists. Cody inhaled deeply.

'They just beat me. They took off my shirt and then Mitchell took one of the belts of the wall and then just whipped me with it. I got used to it after a few minutes, except when they whipped me multiple times in one place. Then I would scream and they would hit me more.'

The door banged open. Mitchell and Steve stood in the doorway, shaking their heads.

'We told you not tell him, but you didn't listen. Now he'll have to pay…'

* * *

_Sorry it's short. I didn't know how to end the chapter any other way. BTW, can you, if you like HSM, read and review my fanfic, 'The Heartbeat of Fear'? I only had two reviews for my last chapter. Thanks! Please review this chapter!_


	5. Discovered

Zack was taken outside. He felt dizzy as they smacked him against a wall and told him that they would be back. He wanted to escape but was too weak to do anything. Suddenly Cody was dragged out of the other room, kicking and screaming. They sat him on a chair, tying him up from behind.

'You can watch.' They said to him.

Zack saw them heat up a pole till it was red hot. They branded his arms with circles. Slaves immediately came to mind as he hissed in pain. He didn't want to show them that it hurt.

No pain, no gain.

* * *

_1 week later…_

Zack and Cody were huddled up in a small closet, knowing that they were not far from the Tipton. They heard Mitchell and Steve talking about them and their Dad. They had been in the closet for only a few hours. Cody was asleep on Zack's shoulder, but Zack had learned that you don't have to be awake to cry.

The door swung open and Mitchell and Steve stood there. 'Aww…' Mitchell said in mock sympathy. 'Bless 'em. Get the younger one, Steve.'

Zack put a protective arm round his brother's thin shoulders, but Cody was so tired and weak that he didn't wake up. 'Don't touch him!'

'Why not, squirt? You gonna protect him, eh? 'Cause you've done a _great _job of that, haven't you?' Steve said. Zack gulped. 'Yeah, we know. We've been watching you. You're not exactly Brother of the Year, are you? 'Cause after you started high school, he needed you…and you weren't there. If you had been nice, kind, then maybe you wouldn't be here right now.' Zack's lip quivered.

'Nice speech.' Mitchell nodded approvingly. 'Now get him.'

Steve grabbed Cody from underneath Zack's now limp arm and dragged him outside. Cody's eyelids slid open and he looked at Zack, reaching out as best he could.

Zack reached out back, but neither had enough energy to do anything more. 'Cody…'

* * *

'We spoke to your husband, Ms Martin, and he told us some information which could be of use to you.' Carey couldn't be bothered to tell them that they were divorced; the sound of news gave a short-lived spark of excitement.

'And?'

'Mr Martin said he ran into some money troubles a few months ago, and two guys let him borrow some. After a few weeks, he owed them over 3000, and he told them that. Although, instead of making him pay by beating him up, they said that he would "eventually give in" after what they "were gonna do to him and his family."'

'Oh my God…could they kill my sons?' Carey said. Maddie was sitting next to her and she rubbed her back comfortingly.

'The good news is that we know their names and where they were last seen. The bad news, our officers are not allowed to work with this case yet. The head says that we have more important things to worry about at the moment, as we can't be sure whether this information is useful to us yet.'

'Please. You have to find them. You have to find my boys!' Carey begged the policeman.

'I want to, Ms Martin. I can't go against the rules though, I'll lose my job.'

'What's the address?' Maddie thought he wouldn't be dumb enough to give it to her, but he did. Any other time, and she might have laughed at his stupidness.

* * *

Maddie clicked on the map of the place she was told the two guys were last seen. Down at the bottom of the page she saw the link to **Directions**. She clicked it, just as Liam walked in. 'Hey Booger.' She said sadly.

'Hey Madders.' He said, walking over. He felt sorry for her, so he used her nickname.

'Liam…you're a geek, right?'

'Thanks.' Liam said, smiling slightly.

'Sorry.'

'Why do you ask?'

'Well…it's just that…I'm gonna try find Zack and Cody. You're good at tracing, right?' Maddie looked at him pleadingly.

'Shift over.' Liam said, smiling. 'I'll try.' He said, as Maddie got off desk chair and let him on.

Maddie sat on her bed, just staring at Liam do his work. Eventually, she fell asleep at about 2 in the morning, thinking only one thing.

'_If the police aren't going to do anything, then I'll just have to do it myself.'_

**Please Review. I love you guys!!**


	6. Important Information

'Maddie! Maddie!'

Maddie opened her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. 'What?' she said, still sleepy.

'I've done it. I think I've found the place they took Zack and Cody. Madders, wake up!' Cold liquid hit her face and she opened her eyes fully, rubbing her hands over her cheeks.

'Liam!' she yelled, not really giving him her full attention. She looked at her bed covers. 'Is that coffee?'

Liam shrugged. 'Were you drinking coffee last night?'

'Yeah, I had to stay awake.' Maddie said, grabbing a small cloth off the table and wiping her face.

'I just grabbed whatever I could find. So, yeah, it was cold coffee.' Liam said, placing the cup on the table.

'I would never have guessed.' Maddie said sarcastically. Suddenly she perked up. 'Did you say you found them?'

'I might. I think I have, but I'm not completely sure. I'm 95 percent sure that I've got it though.' Liam said, handing her some pieces of paper and sitting next to her.

'What's this?' she said, thumbing through the sheets.

'There are some news reports on the guys, a map, some photos of the place – inside and out – directions, and a building plan. I think they might be held here…' he pointed. '…because that's where they kept the rest of their hostages.'

'They've had more?' Maddie stared at Liam. He nodded. 'Did they…did they get out…alive?' Liam looked at her and then shook his head slowly and sadly. 'Oh my God…'

'But, Zack and Cody have each other, Madders.'

'And soon they'll have me.' Maddie said, getting up.

Liam stared after her, confused. 'Maddie…you can't go after them.'

'Watch me.' Maddie said, stuffing the papers in her very full backpack. She looked at his sad face. 'Look, Liam…I have to. They're…' Liam raised his eyebrows, waiting for any answer. 'They're family to me.'

Liam sighed slightly. 'I guess I can't stop you.'

'Please don't tell Mom and Dad. Liam, here's my old cell phone…' she said, handing it to him. 'If I call you, even if it only rings once, call the police, okay? I'm speed dial number 1 on yours and vice versa. Please promise me.'

Liam's eyes flitted from the door to his sister. '…I…'

'Please, Liam.' Maddie stared at him. 'Please? Promise me.'

Liam closed his eyes, knowing he would regret his decision. '…Fine. I promise.'

Maddie smiled. 'Thank you. Okay, I have to go.' She lightly punched his shoulder. 'See you, squirt.'

'Yeah…' Liam said, as she opened her window and threw her bag to the overgrowing grass below.

She smiled at him as she swung herself round and dropped, landing near her bag. She picked it up and looked up at Liam, who was leaning out the window. She waved slightly. _'Thank you.' _She mouthed. Then she ran off to the bus stop, Liam staring after her.

* * *

Maddie stirred. She was sleeping on a park bench, only a mile up the road from where Liam thought Zack and Cody were being kept. She got up, and rubbed her eyes, standing in the same place for a few seconds. She reached in her bag for some coffee she'd put in a container, that was supposed to keep the liquid inside hot. She drank some and made a face as she swallowed it. Apparently, it doesn't keep hot forever. She shivered, but it definitely woke her up.

'Okay…' she said, placing it back in her bag, and taking out the building plan and photos. She'd circled the room that Zack and Cody were supposedly being kept in thick red pen. '…let's go.' She said, swinging her bag onto her shoulder, and walking down the road.

As she passed each building, she had to inspect them. Each building to her looked exactly the same by a glance. She had to look at small things like windows, doors, sometimes even the pattern of bricks. She finally got the exact match, except it was a little rougher around the edges. She circled the building, taking small steps, until she got to the place that seemed to be the outside of the room she was looking for. She grabbed her backpack and set it on the ground, standing on it to look through the small window.

She gasped as she caught sight of Zack lying in the corner. From what she could see, he had a split lip, two black eyes – they were so bad he could barely open his eyelids – and burns on his arms, but she knew there was more from the way he was sitting. 'Oh my God…' she whispered.

Zack looked up; his neck looked as if he'd been strangled. He probably had, she realised as she stared at him. He caught sight of her, and as much as he could, his eyes widened. She put a finger to her lips, and he got the message.

'What you staring at, kid?' A gruff voice was heard, and Maddie ducked below the window, back against the wall.

'N…nothing…sir.' She heard Zack's quiet voice, and her heart broke. He sounded so pitiful, she just wanted to run in and hug him to an inch of his life.

There were some footsteps, and Maddie knew he was looking through the window, and pressed her back closer against the bricks. Eventually she heard the footsteps faint away as she raised her head ever so slightly over the ledge, just so her eyes and top of her hair could be seen if she were to be caught.

At that moment, there were so many thoughts running through her head, as her eyes flitted from each corner of the room. But as she grew more concerned, her thoughts all filtered into one very important question.

_Where was Cody?_

**Please Review.**


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